I was honored when my friends, Matt and Scott, asked me to create arrangements for their wedding day. This was the largest event I had done and the venue was expansive. West of Austin is Star Hill Ranch, a replica Old West town complete with a chapel, schoolhouse, barn, dance hall, saloon, and Sears, Roebuck & Co. homes.

I dragged my mother, a former florist and shop owner herself, along for the ride. I look to her for direction. We transported most of the florals and supplies from Dallas to Austin. Two hotels, a few flower runs, and many hours later, it all came together just in time. And not without the help of my good friend, photographer, and florist, Elizabeth Thacker, who came through in the clutch.

The Big Bend area of the Chihuahuan Desert in Texas probably my favorite region to visit given its diverse botany, topography, and ecology. In October 2013 with the assistance of a botanist who is well-versed in the plants of the area, a coworker and I were able to visit the flora-rich Chinati Mountains in Presidio County, Texas.